Practical
Plants

Lythrum salicaria

Purple Loosestrife

a perennial member of the Lythrum genus in the family Lythraceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Lythrum
Life cycle
perennial
Height
1 m
Spread
0.5 m
Fertility
Bees, Flies
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Flies

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves - cooked[3][18][20][2]. Rich in calcium[6]. Root - cooked[3]. An edible dye is obtained from the flowers[3].

Product or use
Colouring
Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Root

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Purple loosestrife is an astringent herb that is mainly employed as a treatment for diarrhoea and dysentery. It can be safely taken by people of all ages and has been used to help arrest diarrhoea in breast-feeding babies[15]. It can also be used to treat heavy periods and inter-menstrual bleeding[15]. Modern research has shown the whole plant to be antibiotic and to be particularly effective against the micro-organism that causes typhus[15]. The flowering plant is antibiotic, highly astringent, hypoglycaemic, styptic and vulnerary[17][21][23][10][4][11][13]. It is valued as an intestinal disinfectant, especially in cases of enteritis[21], an infusion is used internally in the treatment of diarrhoea, internal bleeding, excessive menstruation etc[23][12][13]. The flowering plant is harvested in the summer and can be used fresh or dried[23]. Externally, the plant is used as a cleansing and healing wash for wounds, sores, impetigo, eczema, excess vaginal discharge, vaginal itching etc[21][12][13][15]. The powdered plant is used as a haemostatic in cases of severe nosebleeds[21]. The stems are regarded as gum stimulators and are given to children to chew in order to strengthen weak or bleeding gums[21].

Product or use
Antibiotic
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Hypoglycaemic
Product or use
Styptic
Product or use
Vulnerary

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A decoction of the plant is impregnated into wood, rope etc to prevent it rotting in water[22]. The leaves contain about 12% tannin, the stems 10.5%, the flowers 13.7% and the roots 8.5%[11]. It is probably these tannins that preserve the wood etc[11]. The powdered plant is used cosmetically in face-packs to counteract reddened skin[21].

Product or use
Cosmetic
Product or use
Dye
Product or use
Preservative
Product or use
Tannin
Product or use
Dental care

Environment

Range
Europe, including Britain, south to N. Africa east to western and northern Asia. N. America..
Habitat
Reed swamps at the margins of lakes and slow-flowing rivers, fens and marshes, avoiding acid soils[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
aquatic
Hardiness
Zone 3+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow in the autumn or the spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. If you have sufficient seed it could be worthwhile trying a sowing in situ in the autumn or the spring. Division in March or October[8]. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring. Basal cuttings in the spring[13]. Harvest the shoots with plenty of underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil, especially if it is damp[1]. Prefers a neutral to alkaline soil[13]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Grows well in marshy soils[14] and succeeds in shallow water at the edges of ponds[19]. Succeeds in full sun or partial shade[8]. A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to at least -25°c[7]. This species can be very invasive and has been declared a noxious weed in some countries. Since being introduced in N. America it has invaded native marshlands, florming large areas of dense stands and crowding out many native species[16]. A very ornamental plant[1]. A good bee and butterfly plant[14]. Plants usually self-sow when well sited[9].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

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  3. Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-600-33545-3

    ↩1↩2↩3

  4. Lassak. E. V. and McCarthy. T. Australian Medicinal Plants.

    ↩

  5. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

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  6. Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00

    ↩

  7. Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30936-9

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  8. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

    ↩1↩2

  9. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

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  10. Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-553-23827-2

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  11. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2↩3

  12. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩1↩2

  13. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  14. Baines. C. Making a Wildlife Garden.

    ↩1↩2

  15. Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996-00-00 ISBN 9-780751-303148

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  16. Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999-00-00 http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm

    ↩

  17. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩

  18. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  19. Muhlberg. H. Complete Guide to Water Plants. E. P. Publishing Ltd. 1982-00-00 ISBN 0-7158-0789-7

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  20. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

  21. Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-356-10541-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  22. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

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  23. Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-600-37216-2

    ↩1↩2↩3

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